Passive Agressive
by doitforthefic
Summary: In which Richard and Raven need to talk yet, neither are inclined to do so.
1. Chapter 1

Just because this idea caught my attention, I wanted to write smut and it doesn't fit into the Diabolical Mark at all. This little ficlet is in no way hindering me from working on Diabolical Mark, it's actually helping me de-clutter my brain a bit. I've been really sick for three days, so this has been easier to write than that. Be patient with me. Got some good stuff coming for that. I should think of a cute shorthand for my larger work.

So there. This is a two or three shot.

Language, sexual situations and what not.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, nor do I profit from this work of fiction.

* * *

Bruce needed him in Gotham, so he went. There were typical reactions from all his teams and typical 'see you laters' and he didn't give much thought to leaving and he figured it would all be waiting for him when he got back. One person in particular.

It always was. It wasn't like this was his first time leaving the tower for an extended amount of time nor was he the only one to leave every few months. They all had something outside the Titans for the most part. His 'outside' was Gotham with Alfred, Bruce, Tim, Damian and even Jason if he was particularly lucky. It was always for work. Though, he always made plans to see Barbara outside of uniform, because well- he liked to test his luck and she was a very close friend of his in the same line of business.

He was only gone for three weeks and then factor in the three days it took for him to drive from Gotham all the way back to Jump, three weeks and three days. Those three days were impressive for any humane person. Added all up, that's 24 days, 576 hours, 34,560 minutes and 2,073,600 seconds.

Although he missed the familiar territory of Gotham and all the people dear to him there when he went away, he had a special sort of affection for the team that is so much more thrilling. Probably because here he didn't have to wear a suit and tie at least once a week for some dinner party that Bruce was hosting just to investigate people. Here he wasn't Bruce Wayne's ward or the Boy Wonder even though he donned a new name and outfit. Here, he became a man. Nightwing.

Here it is warm bone-crushing hugs or back slaps, good natured ribbing and despicable pudding. It was a circus, he always had mostly fond memories of those before and it was just his luck that he found another. Nothing would ever replace the original but he was glad that he could always have places to call home. It was what drove him to push a normally seven to ten day trip past being comfortable into a three day trip.

On top of the fact that he was never sure what state the tower would be in when he got back. It could be on fire because Cyborg stepped out for parts and Raven just didn't care enough to stop it from happening. They could all be parading around in his costume as they were wont to do. He considered just making them their own one day but he cringed at how that conversation with Bruce would go.

To sum up this whole internal monologue, he was tired but he was eager to see his friends. So eager, in fact that he called when he started his trip to say he was on the way back, and even more so when he GPS'd that he was only five hours away and he called again.

He was a mathlete, he did the calculations. So, he was a little thrown off when he got back midday, exhausted but happy to see his team, really, what had become his family.

When he had parked the car (he didn't take his cycle) and slung his pack over his shoulders he thought it would be the last time he left the T Tower until a bad guy showed up, so hopefully until tomorrow night. He fully intended to enjoy being back contrary to his younger years where he would make a stop to the evidence room and demand to be briefed. It would be there tomorrow and if it was anything immediate he trusted his team to tell him upon seeing him or calling ahead.

So, he entered the tower, smile prepared and bracing himself for the appropriate chorus of noise that would signal a typical return of a Titan back home and-

He wasn't disappointed.

After having his body pressed uncomfortably by Kory's hug, ending with her flying away to get a pudding of 'safe returns' or something equally as gross, Vic clapping his back one solid time, and Gar clapping just his shoulder with considerably less strength, he smiled in contentment as they herded him to a seat at the counter, everyone talking at once.

"So, how was the Bats?"

"Friend, you have pet bats?"

"No Star, _Batman."_

"I have been wondering. Why does he call himself so? Is it the symbol of a warrior on Earth? It seems a high praise to be deemed one of a bat clan..."

The noise of the room phased out for him. There was a Titan missing, his grin slipped off his face becoming confused.

"Where's Raven?" He ignored all previous inquiries, putting down a forkful of Starfire's pudding. The fact that it can be fork'd made the name 'pudding' ultra questionable. Should pudding be eaten with a fork?

No matter. Everyone had ceased to talk at his question, looking between the three of them with eyes full of things he needed to know but no one was saying.

His breath got stuck in his throat at the implications and his heart rate started beating so hard he felt his hands shake. He cleared the growing tightness in his throat and put on his infamous glare of authority.

"Is everything ok-"

"She is fine, we are fine. She is not in any danger. Our friend has her communicator on her person. She has just not made it home yet." Starfire was quick to placate him, waving her hands, guessing the direction of his thoughts.

His shoulder's relaxed and he let out the rest of the breath he was holding, relieved. Still, he furrowed his brow, "Then where is she? It's-" He checked the watch on his wrist "-nine o'clock at night on a Tuesday." He ticked off in his head things she could be doing but he knew the place she went to listen to spoken word was on Monday's and she usually did tea time earlier or later than this and was back by now, bookstores were closed, at least the ones she liked, Raven doesn't do clubbing… Where could she be?

He said the last thought out loud, zoning back in on his oddly silent teammates, catching the shifty glances they were giving each other once again communicating between each other but not to him. In retrospect, he may have let it go and just waited for her if they weren't so suspicious.

He narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses,"So?"

"Well-"

"Friend Raven-"

"She went on a date, bro."

He was sure his eyes were saucers by now.

"She's _where_?"

Victor thought he'd be the responsible party and break it fully to the shocked bird, "They met at that coffee shop she likes a little over two weeks ago, been spending time together on our slower days. I haven't met the guy, otherwise I would let him know that no one dates baby sis without going through me first." He tilted his head back and puffed his chest at the end.

Richard could barely reign in his irritation. He felt his brow ticking. This is not the reunion he wanted.

He was tired.

He just wanted to enjoy the company of his friends tonight.

And _Raven_ was on a _date_?

If he wasn't running off of coffee and a scant few hours of sleep, he'd probably re-think what he was thinking of doing. But he was running off coffee and a scant few hours of sleep so, _fuck it._

Richard couldn't help but think how many minutes and hours and seconds are in fourteen days and how many of those seconds did she spend with this guy? Some hipster schmuck that saw her sitting alone at a coffee shop and thought he had a chance. Why'd she even say yes?

He got up from his seat abruptly, the three still looking at him like he was a pacing lion. He ran a hand through his hair, and turned to where he dropped his bag on the seat next to him, fishing out the keys to his motorcycle.

"Now wait, you can't just-"

"I'll be back _with_ Raven."

Starfire was already wrapping up the pudding with a pout by the time he was out the door.

He tracked her location using their communicators, something that is probably considered an invasion of privacy when not used during emergencies. He didn't care. The speed he was going and the way he was weaving through traffic, he should be there in five minutes, tops. So, he sped up some more.

* * *

Raven wasn't bored. Which was a plus. He was attractive, reasonably intelligent and well mannered. He just paled in comparison to living in a world of superheroes. Very unfortunate.

Still, he was good company. She could not say the same for herself because even with her control over her emotions she was sighing involuntarily every time the conversation died down. So, maybe that constitutes as bored. She checked the time on her cell phone.

 _9:30_

She would've sighed again but the breath was caught in her throat because the caller ID for 'Boy Blunder' popped up and her phone was vibrating on the table they were seated at. She hesitated, looking around for her date to see if he was coming back from the bathroom soon and figured she'd be off the phone before then.

They came to a bar, it wasn't crowded, there was a band playing music she liked and the lighting was subdued and painted the shadows in reds and purples. She appreciated the atmosphere but still got up from the table to get to a quieter spot which happened to be the lobby of the bar, near the entrance. She leaned against the wall, closing the door behind her, feeling the thrumming of the music on her back.

"Richard? Is everything alright?"

There was silence but she could hear him blow a long breath into the receiver

"Hey, I'm gonna need you to come outside."

She frowned, "Why?" Sometimes Dick was so exasperating.

"Just, trust me." She could hear the eyeroll in his voice.

"I will if you tell me what's going on."

His voice turned hard and she felt a sharp stab of electricity at the commanding tone he used, "Rae. So help me, if you don't come outside right now…" He was so spoiled, so used to getting what he wanted.

"Richard, so help _me._ You called me on my cell phone so it must not be an emergency and I'm not fond of your games. I'm half-tempted to hang-up right now."

The door she came from opened to her date, the music streaming in and shutting out at his entrance into the scene.

"Oh man, I thought you left! I'm glad you stuck around," and then his eyes caught the phone pressed to her ear, "everything okay?"

"Yeah, just Titan stuff," she tried to lighten her tone, shrugged, and give him a smile that she wasn't sure was all that convincing but he seemed to buy it. He nodded in acknowledgment laughing a little.

"You want me to wait inside?" How considerate.

"No actually, I'll follow you in. I'm hanging up now." She heard a growled 'dammit' right before she disconnected the call and turned her full attention to the other guy.

"Actually, now that I have you alone and we can hear each other, I kinda wanted to ask you something, but first..." He looked down at his expensive designer shoes sheepishly, she could make out the flush along the bridge of his nose and throat, splotching his whole face in a hodge podge of red and pale alabaster. Huh, so he wasn't an endearing blusher. Her stomach dropped at his implication.

As if he heard her last thought, he was shuffling to close the space between them until she had to lean back her head to see his face and he was arching over her. All her panic lights in her brain were on but she couldn't move, she could feel him bumbling over his own nervousness, it made his sweat smell sour and his scent was now surrounding her. She needed him away from her like, two whole minutes ago.

She could feel his breath on her cheek when she heard a throat being cleared. She turned her head to see, "Nightwing." She rolled her eyes even if her heart fluttered from seeing him after three whole weeks and three days. He didn't deserve her flattery so she crossed her arms and raised a brow at him.

He stood there, arms crossed just as tightly across his chest. "Raven, you're needed back at the tower."

She frowned at him, "I doubt it's an emergency."

His brow pivoted downwards, disrupting the lines of his forehead. Before he could respond though, the _intruder_ spoke.

"Uhm, Nightwing?" Her date said uncertainly, looking between the two Titans, "I don't want to interrupt anything but if it's no big deal - Raven and I are on a date that I'd like to get back to." Seeing the heavy glower in his direction shot to him from Nightwing, he gulped, looking to Raven who still looked defiant.

Great, now it became a pissing contest. She saw Richard clench his fist and could see the tick in his jaw. She was briefly distracted by his mouth, pinning one of her own lips between her teeth.

He was staring at that lip, she could feel the weight of his gaze, spied the loosening of his jaw as it pulled into a smirk. He relaxed his shoulders and chuckled, scrubbing a fist on the underside of his jaw.

"Well, you're talking to her boyfriend, so I'm gonna have a problem with that."

She was pretty sure her face was ablaze, and her companion looked like a fish blowing bubbles.

"We're not-"

"She never said she had-"

Richard gave an even wider grin to the other male, walking over to grip his shoulder hard, under the guise of nonchalance.

"No sweat man, though you are sweating a bit" he peered around the man's face, he was a little shorter than him and blonde? Who knew Raven liked blondes? "We had a little disagreement and I left right after so it might be a little confusing but I'm gonna clear that up soon."

The guy had the nerve to try to stutter something out, being overwhelmed by Richard's person.

"You can understand that, right Bud?" Richard turned his eyes towards Raven, catching her eyes and lowering his tone a few octaves, still talking to the random but mostly her, "Why would any guy wanna mess it up with a woman like her?" He raked his eyes from head to toe and she could feel with an unnatural awareness the heat he had left behind with his gaze. "I don't intend to."

Whoever he was took a few uneven steps backwards, with his hands raised in front of him, muttering apologies and high pitched laughs until his back hit the entrance to the bar.

His face cleared in relief as he saw his opportunity to exit and he fumbled with the handle before shooting Raven a quick look and turning tail back into the sanctity of the bar.

The door closing behind him was the only sound as Raven shifted in front of Richard uneasily, her arms still crossed tightly in front of her chest and looking away from his blue and black clad figure in pure stubbornness. She could still feel his gaze like a physical thing on her.

He sighed, "A date, Rae? Really?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes.

"If you roll your eyes any harder they'll roll out of your head,"

She really wanted to throttle him sometimes.

"Come on, Rae,"

She could hear his pout, refused to give him the attention he was seeking, he didn't deserve it, hadn't earned it and-

"Let's just go," she hissed, finally turning her narrowed gaze to him. She could see his jaw clench and unclench, could feel his agitation towards her behavior and she chose not to care. Instead, she took the initiative to walk ahead.

Richard didn't fail to notice the swaying hips and almost choked on his own spit,

"Backless? Christ! What were you thinking?"

All that smooth ivory skin on display, the teeny waist that cinched in and exaggerated the curve of hips, even the two identical divots on her low back, big enough to fit his thumbs in just _right there_. He bit back a groan. She was killing him tonight.

Raven paused to throw another withering glare over her shoulder, her mostly bare shoulder, "I was _thinking_ , I would enjoy the evening with a compatible male. Discuss our interests and maybe develop a relationship," her gaze grew coy, "an intimate one, perhaps."

Richard knew she was baiting him but the anger roiled through his body so fast it ate up any other coherent thoughts. In two strides he was tugging her back towards him, her back pressed to his front. The planes and angles of their bodies molded together and he felt the same shiver that struck like lightening in his own body, respond in hers.

He was practically growling, "Do you expect me to believe you thought he could _fuck_ you right?" She gasped, his gloved hand slipped from her waist to grip a thigh, rolling his hips into the soft flesh of her ass. His other hand tangling in her hair to pull it lightly, pressing soft kisses to her throat.

"Does he know what I know? That you like that pretty little ass of yours spanked." He bit the crook of her neck, she mewled and arched her back, bumping back into his thrusts. "How about that only a day before I left, I left marks all over you. Your neck, your chest, right underneath your left breast, the inside of both those thighs," his hand flexed on her thigh in response to the memory.

She leaned her head back on his shoulder, her pulse hammering underneath her skin, pupils blooming, "I'll be damned if he knows how sweet you are, how hot you really run. But I know you better than that. You had no intention of letting him get anywhere close. You were bored."

He feels her surprise flicker at his acknowledgement, her guard so down when she's like this with him that the bond swells and he can pick up her half easier. Good, he wanted her nice and malleable. The surprise seems to knock her back into her awareness, her eyes flickering before re-narrowing on his face. Her lips press into a thin line before she's flinging his hands off her and moving away, continuing her path out the doorway, the fresh night air filtering into the enclosed space.

He follows after her, letting out a long breath.

* * *

The ride back is silent. The roar of his bike underneath him, Raven's hands wrapped around his waist and the presence of their bond imposing on them both. He's glad he didn't have to convince her to get on. It means she missed him, he hopes. Most likely it's because she missed the bike rides.

He can feel her closing him out and the undercurrent of exhilaration that came with riding on his bike. He smirked despite the tension and couldn't stop himself from speeding up a little and making a particularly dramatic turn. The exhilaration spiked a bit and his ego grew.

He knew they'd need to talk. But tonight he needed her around him, in the same bed, tangled in the sheets, her hair pooling on his pillow case. Better yet, her on top, so he could just watch her take herself to her end. He loved that.

He gripped the handle bars, pulling into the underpass that would take him to the tower.

Opening the garage after identifying them both, Richard parked the bike and swung off, removing the helmet and looking towards Raven only for her to walk past him, brushing shoulders. His back hunched in resignation, so this is how she wanted to play it. He followed her, hot on her heels to the elevator.

"Rae…" The numbers blinked steadily as they went upwards.

She cut a glance at him like glass, "Don't 'Rae' me,"

He huffed.

She sniffed.

The door opened up to the living room area.

He steeled his spine, "I'm sorry. I was an ass tonight and before I left. Mostly about before I left. Tonight I just, well. You get it." Raven was impressed that he had the decency to look sincere, if a little irritated. She mulled over his half baked apology.

"No, I don't 'get it'. Elaborate Richard."

It was quiet for awhile while they sized each other up. The living room was evacuated. All the residents of the tower knew that an argument was brewing between the two birds upon their arrival, so they made themselves scarce. They didn't argue often, but when they did, no one wanted to be around.

"What can you possibly not understand Raven? You're smart. You know what I'm saying. I said sorry."

She cocked a hip out and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Are we not going to talk about before you left?"

He sighed for maybe the millionth time that night, exhaustion catching up with him, "What's to talk about?"

Her brow dove down, eyes squinting, the amethyst catching fire as it caught a stray beam of light. It was all at once before it was gone without a trace, her usually impassive expression returning to her face. She shook her head a few times. He could have sworn that he heard the cabinets rattling before they stopped abruptly.

"Right. You're right. There's nothing to talk about. Goodnight." Her arm unraveled from around her chest and she sauntered with clenched fists passed him, heels clicking all the way.

Richard was once again met with the sight of her bare back, dimples winding with the movement of her hips.

Away from him.

Most likely not in the direction of his bedroom.

He most definitely was not invited into hers.

 _Pick your battles, Richard._

His body sagged.

 _Welcome Home._

He spun his finger in a twirling motion twice as the door closed behind Raven and he made his way towards the same doors, only a different turn.

Once he got to his room and face planted into his bed, he groaned. His body sinking into the mattress and his eyes falling shut into a comforting darkness.

Tomorrow. He'd have a proper reunion with Raven tomorrow.

* * *

Yeah, so this may have one or two more parts, depending on the final word count and how it all reads. A short little project to add to the RobRae fics. As always, I love feedback and I try to respond to everyone, it really helps with my writing to be able to discuss the literature and the subject matter to really flesh out ideas.

I love jealous Richard. I love sassy Raven. Love love love.


	2. Chapter 2

He intended to settle it. He really meant to.

It just didn't happen.

The morning after, he was refreshed and woke early to get his coffee. He knew she'd be at the kitchen counter with a book, enjoying the silence of the morning in her own way.

It was almost their normal routine, just a little rearranged.

He drank his coffee, read the paper, finished the crossword and kept sneaking glances in her direction. Waiting for the explosion of… something. But she barely even acknowledged him, which made him think that perhaps she needed to reflect. She still poured his cup of coffee. She just placed it at the countertop. Whereas it was usually in the seat at the island right next to hers. She was laying on the couch, book in hand, leaving him no room to sit with her. So he knew she wasn't avoiding him completely. There was just more space in between them.

Maybe she just needed her space for a few more hours. He could provide that.

So he quieted the thoughts that called him a coward and gave it to her.

After the morning, he went to catch up on all the backlogged work he had to do. Letters from the city, concerns about the budget, several inquiries for appearances, etc. etc. Just those few things kept him remarkably busy until the sunset.

He finished with revising their training schedule and decided to host an early morning workout tomorrow morning. Usually, he just sent the schedule to everyone's communicator but since he was absent for an extended period of time he decided he should check in with everyone individually. Mainly, their resident empath.

He had just braved Gar's room and gave the lecture he prepared about overall cleanliness with an emphasis on the importance of personal hygiene, before he excused himself to head towards Raven's room.

There was a booming laugh and then a giggle, one he knew for it's rarity, coming from her rooms.

He didn't bother to hesitate and instead of probing around for the connection that was innately there with a curiosity he could not stifle, he knocked for appearance's sake.

The door slid open enough for it to gap and see one gorgeous eye and a finely arched eyebrow, attitude stamped on her forehead.

"Yes?" She deadpanned.

He swallowed, not entirely expecting the cold demeanor but still drinking her in. What half he could see at least. Raven was insanely attractive and that was an understatement. He's told her so on more than one occasion, just as a standard observation even. It always caught him off guard that she was so alluring. Most people fawned over Starfire, the personality, the uniform, and the exotic coloring. He understood it, but whereas Starfire was the sun, Raven was the universe and its infinite expansion into the abyss.

He saw supernovas when he looked at her.

"Richard. Why are you standing outside my room?"

"I just wanted to check in with the team, I'm sending tomorrow morning's schedule to the communicators but-"

"Why didn't you just do that?"

"Huh?"

"Next time, just send it."

He clenched his jaw. "As I was saying, I wanted to check on the-"

Another booming laugh cut the rest of what Richard was going to say off.

"Cut the guy some slack, Rae. He is our leader, that deserves some kind of respect," A voice emerged from the depths of her room that Richard now recognized as Victor. She made some kind of discontented noise, looking away from him, turning to glare at where he assumed Cyborg to be.

"Actually, you guys have been actin' downright feral. I'm going to just make some adjustments to the T-car or somethin'. Nice chatting with you, Rae. Don't throw anyone out any windows. It gets real hard to explain in the budget meetings," The last part Cyborg muttered, his heavy steps making their way to the doorway before it slid open all the way to reveal his large frame.

"Glad to have you back Rob," With a squeeze of the shoulder and a whistle, Cyborg mosied down the hall, leaving the love birds to their own devices.

In the now silence of the hall, Richard could hear the thrum of her fingernails against the metal of the door.

Why was she so impatient?

"Am I bothering you?"

"No."

thrumthrumthrumthrumthrum.

"...Do you have somewhere else to be?"

The steady thrum stopped momentarily, she shot him a look he couldn't decipher.

He could remember whatever his name was with his lips well within kissing distance of hers. He knew last night exactly what that loser intended. If he was any later, if his trip had taken the extra four days…

Jealousy snuck its way onto his tongue and before he could swallow it, in a low whisper that could barely press through his clenched teeth, "I swear Raven if you're still mad because I stopped you from playing dress-up with some half rate son of a-"

She slammed her palm to the side of the door, hands glowing, eyes flashing. She took a step closer to him.

Her posture challenging.

His nostrils flared.

"You swear, what? What do you think you can do about it?"

He could feel her breath on his face, see the lighter flecks of magenta, he was swimming in the red wines of her eyes. He never intentionally upset her, teased of course, made her beg certainly. But, _fuck,_ if he didn't want to take her to bed right now and just work out all that tension. He shook his head to clear it. This isn't at all how he wanted this conversation to go. He said as much, "I didn't come here to argue."

Her posture shrunk down, her arms coming to wrap themselves around her again. She huffed before closing her eyes tightly, the residual energy seeming to drain from her before she opened them again. "Of course you didn't. Thank you for the update, I will see you tomorrow morning, Nightwing."

And the door promptly slid shut in his face. Softly and with a hiss of dismay that stung his chest.

* * *

Day one sucked reasonably enough and the next four were trying but doable because there were a series of crimes to attend to and the team was busy. So, he took a page out of her book. Silent, stilted mornings, brief acknowledgement in team meetings, he stayed on the ground, she covered the battle from above. Easy adjustments.

Yet, other team events made him grit his teeth. Beach days in particular. That was day five.

One moment he was successfully ignoring her until she came to her sense and the next she was asking him to apply sunscreen to her exposed skin. Which included her neck, shoulders, back and thighs.

He could still feel her body slightly shuddering underneath his palms as he rubbed outward circles at the tops of her thighs while he kneeled between her spread legs. He felt the familiar haze of their combined lust rolling over them when she moaned, he groaned in return- she knew he got off on her getting off- pressing the pads of his thumbs just underneath the seams of the tiny black bottoms that he knew Kory had to have picked out for her.

He was so close to leaning down and slipping his hand between the little slip of material covering her slit to see if she was as wet as he could only imagine. Audience be damned, mouth dry just at the thought of getting to touch her there, straining against the ties of his swim trunks, when Kory called out for her.

Starfire's call seemed to wake Raven up from the seduction, making her pop up on her knees to a kneel, back pressed his chest, slick skin sticking to each other, his hands reaching up to balance her on her hips as the world swam around them for a moment, his hips pressing snugly into the firm globes of her ass. They fit so perfectly together. She turned her head over her shoulders, revealing blown pupils and biting her bottom lip.

He hadn't been this close to her since he got back.

"Rae.."

"Thank you, Richard" and she was up and gone, wading into the water with Starfire.

The day caught up to him, he resumed to play it off and engaged with his other teammates even if they eyed him strangely and gestured to each other behind his and Raven's back.

He catalogued endless moments of brushing bare skin against Raven's, shamelessly seeking her out. Wrangling her into a game of chicken and losing on purpose just to pull her up, out of the water and close. The flimsy ties of her top staying ridiculously stable to cover her to his dismay and relief (there were other people there after all, who knows if her 'date' from the other day was around.)

He thought they made some ground that day. He was wrong. When they got back and he attempted to make amends yet again, she avoided him once more.

He spent that night, fisting his cock, sweating and gasping out her name in the dark of his room.

* * *

The morning after his one man romp and day six, he couldn't stop staring at her. She opted for a cinnamon roll that Vic had baked the morning before, pulling it apart with nimble fingers and opening those pouty lips to eat each bite. He could feel himself mouthing each bite with her, his coffee growing cold.

He hissed when she moaned over the flavor. He glared when she caught his gaze and licked icing off of each individual finger.

He left breakfast early that morning to get a fasted cardio in. Who would sit through that torture?

* * *

After seven whole days, it had been a week since he had come back. He was deliberately trying to corner her. But it seemed like there was always some kind of barrier to success.

He was so desperate for her to even make eye contact. Richard was constantly tilting his head this way or that, weaving through things just to get one glance, an acknowledgment that she even knew he was there. He was constantly invading her personal space just to feel the barest hum of her against him. His skin felt antsy, raw at the edges and worn thin. She kept maneuvering them just out of reach of each other and his hands ached to close the distances. The woman could phase through anything, so that was a large deterrent.

Richard was at a complete and total loss.

He was practically starved of all the essentials of their relationship. Which was actually the crux of his whole dilemma. What was their relationship? Sure, he called her his girlfriend and damn him if he didn't think it was true.

He scoffed, scratching his pinky across an imaginary line on his desk. He wanted Raven to be his, that was probably always going to be true. He had before, he does now, he could only see that evolving from now.

But-

knockknockknock.

He rolled back from his desk a bit to get up, picking up a shirt off his bed and unraveling it down his midsection, brushing his fingers across his mask just to make sure it was on (you never know).

"Speak of the devil…" he muttered underneath his breath as his doors revealed one Raven 'Rachel' Roth. Clad in her all black, skin tight, kevlar suit of her own. He could never quite figure out why this uniform was so much worse to him than her last. Her last having every inch of her legs exposed and this one covered her from neck to ankle but clung and flexed snuggly against her skin.

When was the last time he'd put his lips on her? Did she miss him at all?

Her arms were crossed underneath her chest, gaze faced away from him. He was instantly irritated. Here he was trying to solve their problems and she was still running away.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

The curtness in which he asked caused her to turn her gaze to him.

Her eyes flashed once and he heard the cup he brought to his room last night explode. He glanced behind to idly take in the damage.

Hm, at least there was nothing in it.

When he looked back towards her, he caught her taking a deep exhale with her eyes closed, her mouthing her mantra. If he was frustrated, she deserved it too.

When her eyes popped open and she had set her mouth into a thin line, the normally full lips pressed together in displeasure.

"I'm leaving tonight."

That caught him off guard, he started to rack his brain for an tangible reason for that kind of extreme.

Her being so in tuned with his emotions, caught his confusion and the rising panic, raised a placating hand in front of him before he could voice his thoughts.

"Remember? The mission with Arsenal," There was something in her tone, underneath the annoyance that somehow he had forgotten that was this week, something like… regret? No. He couldn't place it, couldn't find it, because it was gone so fast.

He felt like an idiot, "Right." He racked his brain for something to say. He didn't want her to go, only agreed because they had been investigating the target for months and verified that they posed a significant threat. Roy's playboy persona and connections put him in a good position to go undercover and Raven was extremely well adapted to covert missions. It made sense and instead of sending two from one team, one from each wasn't handicapping them entirely. Otherwise, he would have offered up to go with her.

Richard had already thought about this logically when he decided to sanction the mission with Bumble Bee. It had been discussed from all angles, they had both teams do meetings over details, Raven and Arsenal had already been debriefed, They had even had team drills without Raven to solidify the chemistry they would need while she was gone. Everything was already set to go, get it over with, he just needed to rip the band-aid off.

He'd miss her, but...

Their duties as heroes came first.

There was always a chance she wouldn't come back. Hell, that he wouldn't be there when she came back. That was the reality of their situation.

Immediately he felt like a child.

* * *

The silence was stretching too long for Raven.

She chastised herself for even coming to his door.

Though their relationship was particularly amorous, right up until before he left for Gotham she did not know where they stood now. The way things were left, she figured the whole thing a sham. Humiliated she may be, she still held Richard in high regard. She reasoned (after some time of him being gone) that in the aftermath of such strenuous activities that they often had engaged in, it was common for human males to say things they don't mean.

Hormones and all that.

She was just offended because she didn't think Richard was one of those men. It hurt. She could tell herself that the intimacy they shared even outside the bedroom was a natural inclination for two people who have shared bodies with one another. Such knowledge of another person could only make you closer and with the bond they already shared along with their friendship combined with a mutual respect, Raven dare not mistake what they had for what it could closely resemble.

His thoroughness was one thing she found extremely attractive about him and depended on. So when he wasn't, it sent her whole world off kilter.

He let those words slip when both of their emotions were high.

It was devastating. She had tried to move on but she, of course, forgotten that Richard was spoiled and incredibly selfish when he was in the mood for it. Which was just plain… arousing?

Ugh.

"Do you wanna come in?"

He leaned to the side, giving her enough room to get passed him if she accepted the offer. His demeanor was different than when he first opened the door. He had turned his head down, peeking up at her from underneath his fringe. With the mask on and the tightly reigned control on his emotions that was near constant lately, she couldn't get a read on him.

Going in that room was probably a bad idea. Alone time with handsome Richard Grayson led to disaster.

But, she missed him. Will miss him even more when she spends weeks with Roy on a different coastline? Maybe she was being overdramatic.

Why was this so complicated? She felt a nagging in her head to just go. For once, she followed it. On her way in, she brushed his side, fire exploded in tiny sparks across her skin. She is instantly taken back to the last time they were this close. The beach. With his large calloused hands rubbing her thighs. He was so much bigger than her, that just his hands took ownership of the span of her thigh.

She shivers hard, gasping at the speed that the emotion hit her, making her a little dizzy.

Turning with enough pivot to give most people whiplash, she looked to see that there was barely enough room to point a finger between their chests and the door had already closed behind him, he barred her exit.

She wanted to flee suddenly.

"You wanted to talk, let's talk."

Even though he said it, his words weren't matching the rising tension in the room. He leaned down over her, her eyes fluttered closed when she felt his breath at her cheek. She tilts her head at the angle she knew they fit best. Azar, she wanted him to kiss her so bad.

Instead she felt a thick finger curl the hair behind her ear and he whispered into it in a low voice, "Get comfortable, Rae."

On slightly wobbling legs she managed to take the steps towards his bed, feeling his eyes on her the entire way. She took in his room to calm the beating of her heart. It was still familiar even if she hadn't been in here for weeks. The bright red punching bag, the one rolling chair in front of the computer, the clippings that belonged in the evidence room no doubt, the bird-a-rang marks carved into a few of those clippings, the mirror that substituted one wall and and the large window the made up the last wall. Being in this wing and this side of the tower gave Richard the best view of the city.

She loved this view, it was second only to the roof. She walked to the window, looking over the sparkling ocean and the city line. Absent mindedly she flicked a glowing wrist to the broken cup she shattered earlier. Gathering the pieces and putting them in the waste bin.

He chuckled, she could feel the genuine amusement in his aura, "Thank you."

She allowed herself a soft smile, "Hm."

She crosses her arms behind her back, determined to continue to look outwards and not at him.

She heard him sigh, "Raven… really. Let's talk. You can't leave us like this."

"Why not?"

"Because-"

"Your male ego won't allow you to let me go with Roy until it's satisfied? I can't keep-"

"It has never been about anyone else."

"Well then, what was with you a week ago?"

"Believe me, I'm trying hard to keep up with you. I mean, I come back to whatever the hell that was."

She tensed, "What else do you want me to do?"

"Not _that_. Not avoid me.

"Every morning I still meet you for coffee, I stay, we have team meetings, team gatherings- I am always there, team workouts, I-"

"You're there, I know. You think I don't know where you are every second of everyday? You know what I meant Raven. Quality time. The thing that people who care about each other spend together. If there's some meditation technique that replaces that then you should teach me, and soon."

She inwardly seethed because he was right, she felt the effects too, was at her wits end trying to ignore them, which led her to his room.

She turned around to face him finally.

"What about-"

"I meant what I said."

"But you-"

" _Rae,_ I meant it."

She can feel her heart pounding in the silence, hear it in her ears.

"Raven, I-"

"Let's talk about something else."

He frowns, "But I thought you wanted to talk."

"When I get back. We'll talk then. Right now I just want to spend time with you."

He looks at her skeptically for a few moments before relaxing his shoulders and sighing, leaning back on his elbows with a resigned air.

"Can you at least come here?"

She obliges and sits on the bed with a good amount of distance between them, crossing her legs at the ankle and looking at the mirror in front of them, looking at them. She can see and feel him looking at her, his curiosity coloring the room, prodding at her.

He sits up, a smirk on his face that alarms her immediately. She quirks a brow at him.

"What?"

"Just wondering why you're way over there. Didn't we just make up, sorta?"

She rolls her eyes at him, smirking back, "Sorta."

"Then get over here." There's something in his lazy baritone tone that catches the attention of the heat in her blood. She looks into his masked eyes, weighing her options. They made up, sorta, but she didn't know if she wanted more than this right now. It had been a long week.

He pats the space next to him as though to entice her. She scoots over until can feel the warmth of his solid thigh against her own, all the while looking in each other's eyes. The smirks have slipped off and so has his empathic guard, she feels _hungry_ and she can't figure out if it's her own appetite or his but probably both. She licks her lips that have suddenly gone dry on her.

Her eyes suddenly feel heavy and her brain goes fuzzy for a second, she's fights it just to see if she can, "We shouldn't-"

"Not even if you beg me, I just want a kiss. Is that acceptable? Maybe even a few?" He's looking at her just as drunkenly as she feels. The bright white of his teeth pressing into his bottom lip. Glances dipping to her body, she can feel his eyes like a physical thing.

She nods because her tongue feels thick in her mouth, aching for the press of his now that it's being offered so nicely. She swallows and his eyes track the movement of her throat before leaning in to press slow, warm, dry kisses along the line of her neck, right about the uniform.

She whimpers like a fucking kitten.

"So responsive," he murmurs between presses of his lips, a puff of his breath hitting her ear. Her head falls back a little and her back arches from the sensations of arousal as he plays with her sensitivity.

He's not even touching her. She can hear the parting of his mouth before she feels his hot tongue on the outer lobe of her ear, at her shudder he exhales loudly, moving fast to lace one hand on the opposite side of her head into her hair and tug. Baring her neck to him, he sucks at her pulse.

He's sure to leave a mark.

She's sure that she won't heal it anytime soon.

* * *

One more chapter! Man, this one took forever to finish and I still don't like it entirely. I started this MONTHS ago and just now finished it and only started to think it was okay to post in the last hour of writing. You tell me how it came out. Unedited but I've read the first part of this over and over for MONTHS, like I said before. No school so I'm a little less busy, will have the next chapter of Diabolical Mark up soon since it's been in the same situation as this story.


End file.
